Vehicles pass through a waterlogged road after heavy rains, in Rajkot on August 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
More than 600 persons from low-lying places were shifted to safety in Valsad district. On Sunday morning, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed the administrations of affected districts to ensure that people were moved out from the vulnerable areas.
In the affected districts, incessant rains since Saturday have flooded low-lying areas, severely disrupting normal life and impeding traffic movement on the State and national highways across the region.
Mr. Patel also directed the District Collectors for timely evacuation, safeguarding residents and livestock, and ordered the deployment of State and National Disaster Response Forces (SDRF and NDRF) for required assistance.
In Bharuch and Narmada districts, Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam’s water level touched 135.30 meters, only a few meters below its full capacity of 138.68 meters.
The officials shared that there was an inflow of 2,65,748 cusecs of water from upstream in the Narmada river from Madhya Pradesh. The authorities have opened 15 radial gates for water discharge from the dam.
While 1,75,000 cusecs of water flowed out through the gates, 36,975 and 23,081 cusecs were released from the riverbed powerhouse and canal head powerhouse respectively, as per the details shared by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.
Similarly in the Surat district; the Ukai dam over the Tapi river is almost overflowing now due to a heavy inflow of water from the catchment areas.
The 206 reservoirs had 3.64 lakh million cubic feet of water as of Sunday, which is 65% of their total storage capacity, the State government officials said.
Out of these 206 reservoirs, 72 were put on high alert, and 15 were on alert due to a sharp rise in their water level.
In the current monsoon season, the State has received 81.81 % of the average annual rainfall so far this season, with south Gujarat receiving 97.52%, Kutch 90.18%, and Saurashtra 84.92%.
As per the State Emergency Operation Centre data, Gujarat’s north, and east central regions have received less rainfall compared to the southern part and Saurashtra-Kutch region.
North Gujarat has so far received 64.91% of average annual rainfall, while east-central Gujarat has received 68.84%.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast ‘heavy to very heavy’ rain at a few places with isolated ‘extremely heavy’ rain in south Gujarat districts, including Vadodara, Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, and in Amreli and Bhavnagar in Saurashtra region till Tuesday morning.
The IMD also forecast ‘heavy to very heavy’ rain with isolated ‘extremely heavy’ rain in Anand, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Morbi, Dwarka, and Kutch districts on Tuesday.
